Linda Liang, M.A.

Contact & Office Hours

Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
Institut für Politische Wissenschaft
Bergheimer Str. 58 | 69115 Heidelberg
Office: 03.016

Phone: 06221-54 3186
E-Mail: linda.liangat]ipw.uni-heidelberg.de

Registration for the office hours via the link on the right.

Research Profile

Linda Liang is completing her PhD on a role-theoretical explanation of Chinese proliferation behaviour. Since 2023 she has been a research assistant at the Chair of International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis held by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Harnisch.

She studied political science with a focus on International Relations and East Asia studies at Heidelberg University, Sciences Po Paris and Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. Her master’s thesis examined the role of Chinese cyber operations in the Taiwan conflict. Her research interests include China’s foreign policy, especially in the Asia-Pacific, nuclear non-proliferation and the influence of nationalist protest on China’s foreign policy.

Alongside her academic work, Linda has built practical experience in China research as a research assistant at the International Institute for Strategic Studies–Europe (IISS–Europe), Berlin and as a research intern at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), also in Berlin. During her studies, she additionally worked as a student research assistant on the European Repository of Cyber Incidents (EuRepoC) project and on a course taught by Professor Harnisch for the attaché training programme of the German Foreign Office.

Selected Publications

  • Harnisch, S. & Liang, L. (2025). Nuclear non-proliferation. In S. Lucarelli & J. Sperling (Hrsg.), Handbook of European Union Governance (S. 554–567). Edward Elgar Publishing.
  • Kerttunen, M. & Liang, L. (2023). Major Cyber Incident: BAPCO. European Repository of Cyber Incidents (EuRepoC). MaCI.
  • Liang, L. (2020). Power to the People: Could EU bans on Huawei provoke a Chinese consumer backlash? Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). Comment.
  • Liang, L. & Harnisch, S. (2026). Der chinesische Balanceakt. In Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung der Republik Österreich (Hrsg.), Risikobild 2026: Ende der Ordnung (S. 65–69).
  • Liang, L. & Kerttunen, M. (2024). Major Cyber Incident: SolarWinds. European Repository of Cyber Incidents (EuRepoC). MaCI. 

Curriculum Vitae

Table

Since 2025
PhD in International Relations, Supervisor: Prof. Dr. S. Harnisch
Since 10/2023
Research Assistant at the Chair for International Relations and Foreign Policy held by Prof. Dr. S. Harnisch, Heidelberg University
08/2022 – 09/2023
Student research assistant on the European Repository of Cyber Incidents (EuRepoC) project
05/– 12/2021
Research assistant at International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS–Europe), Berlin
01/– 05/2021
Erasmus semester at Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po Paris) Paris, France
10/2020 – 03/2023
Student assistant to course conceptualisation and organisation for course ‚International Politics and Diplomacy’ for German Foreign Office
04/2020 – 09/2023
Master of Arts Political Science, Focus: International Relations at Heidelberg University
01/– 03/2020
Research intern at Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), Berlin
10/2018 – 02/2019
Tutor at the Chair of International Relations and Foreign Policy at the Institute for Political Science at Heidelberg University
08/– 10/2018
Intern at the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Canton, People's Republic of China, at the Federal Foreign Office
09/2016 – 03/2020
Bachelor of Arts, Politikwissenschaft und Ostasienwissenschaft mit Schwerpunkt Sinologie an der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
10/2015 – 03/2020
Bachelor of Education für Musik auf Lehramt an Gymnasien an der Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim
09/2014 – 01/2015
Chinese Language Studies at Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China

Teaching & Presentations

Teaching

  • Winter semester 2025
    • Seminar: Introduction to International Relations Theory, Focus: China’s Foreign Policy
    • Seminar: Introduction to International Relations Theory, Focus: International Organisations
  • Summer semester 2025
    • Seminar: China’s Rise and its International Relations
  • Winter semester 2024
    • Seminar: Introduction to International Relations Theory, Focus: China’s Foreign Policy
    • Seminar: Introduction to International Relations Theory, Focus: Conflict and Cooperation in East Asia

Presentations

  • 16.01.2026: ‘How’s the track record? Assessing the engagement of Germany’s current government with the Indo-Pacific’, The Indo-Pacific and the European Approaches to the Region. An International Workshop, Torino World Affairs Institute in Paris, France.
  • 26.02.2025: ‘The SolarWinds attack and its political implications: Keeping track of major cyber incidents and how states respond.’, v2security, Expo & Conference on Cyber and Information Security in Aarhus, Denmark.